Daniel Goleman’s book Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, just released, reminds us that focus in all its variants is essential to a well-lived life. In the Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving (SDM/SPS) curriculum, Dr. Maurice J. Elias and others include numerous lessons to improve student focus.
Identified as a model and promising program by the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug Free Schools, the SDM/SPS program consists of four volumes filled with detailed instructions for enhancing student focus and strengthing other social-emotional competencies.
You can view a sample of SDM/SPS lessons related to the critical topic of focus here. For full details about the SDM/SPS program, see book pages for the following specific grade levels:
- Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Grades K-1)
- Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Grades 2-3)
- Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Grades 4-5)
- Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving for Middle School Students: Skills and Activities for Academic, Social, and Emotional Success